Owner Nasreen Aksi

Nasreen, a clearly dedicated mum, reckons her divorce forced her to make hard choices about how she would use her talents in the future. She had tried social work, with the aim of helping Asians in Scotland struggling with language difficulties, but was almost intuitively drawn to restaurant management. Career : Still only in her 30's, Ms Aksi’s three restaurants are the Ashoka West End, Ashoka Ashton Lane and Spice of Life (all part of the Harlequin Group) – all situated within Glasgow’s West End. 2007 she was crowned Businesswoman of the Year at the coveted Scottish Asian Business Awards. Also last year Ms Aksi attended a glittering award ceremony at the Grosvenor Park Lane in London to collect a trophy at the British Curry Awards 2007 for the Ashoka Ashton Lane – the only restaurant in Glasgow to be nominated for this prestigious award. Furthermore, Nas also won the Franchisee of the Year Award at Harlequin’s own prize-giving ceremony held earlier this year. Nasreen Aksi was crowned Curry Queen of the Year at the inaugural Irn-Bru Scottish Curry Awards in 2008